Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Scripture- “Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” – Matthew 13:8
Thought: Have you ever stopped trying to do something because you felt you weren’t equipped to handle the task? I certainly have. I often think of big ideas of how to introduce Jesus to a waiting and hurting World, to end suffering, eradicate homelessness, stop political discord and media fueled negativity and division and then I realize these problems are just too big to solve and I stop short of doing something to just get started. I make the big mistake of thinking I have to do it in my strength and power instead of relying on Jesus. So, in that sense I am right to feel helpless! Sometimes it all seems so desperate.
But I am learning as I grow older that I don’t need to try to do everything, or big things, but I just need to do something. Some small step of faith that can spread out as Jesus touches it. In Matthew 13, in the parable of the sower, Jesus talks about how through the power of the scriptures and our ability to read it and understand it, a random act of kindness can be multiplied to create a huge return 100, 60 and 30 times what was sown. An act of kindness can so touch a person’s life that it may just change the trajectory of not only their life, but of many others around them. A simple kind word that lifts someone’s spirits, a small sacrifice that takes from an area of abundance in my life to assist an area of lack in someone else’s. A word of hope today for someone so they can fight for their tomorrow. These small acts are like us throwing a pebble into a still pond. God handles the ripple effects that can spread out and reach the distant shores. God is a multiplier of any acts of kindness, goodness, generosity, hope, faith and love. When we offer a small token of faith or sacrifice, He often, multiplies and spreads its effects many times over. We throw the pebble of faith, he takes care of the ripples.
I have noticed recently just how infectious a positive word or attitude can be when interacting with others I may not even know. I sense a deep fear and desperation permeating many of the people I come into contact with lately. They appear to be in a media induced fog, overloaded with fear and are desperate for a different view point and a positive outlook. We can at least offer that in Christ Jesus! We take the first step of faith and kindness, however small, and God can do the rest and multiply our small act of kindness and faith into something bigger than we ever imagined. Who knows, someday it may even change the world!
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